FOOTBALL ON THE ROAD FOR MIDWEEK MEETING AT MEMPHISThe University of Cincinnati football team heads back on the road, taking on American Athletic Conference foe Memphis in a rare Wednesday night matchup. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and air on ESPN2 and 700 WLW.

SCOUTING MEMPHISMemphis enters at 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in league play. The Tigers five losses have come by an average of seven points, including three by one score or less. Brandon Hayes (74.0 ypg), Paxton Lynch (117-192-5-1,193-3) and Joe Craig (21 rec., 244 yards) lead the offense while Tank Jakes (38 tackles, 7.5 TFL) and Martin Ifedi (11.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks) top the defense.

THE SERIESWednesday marks the 21st meeting all-time between the two squads in a series that dates to 1984. The Tigers lead the all-time series 18-12 and 12-4 in Memphis, but UC has won four of the past five matchups, including three at the Liberty Bowl.

THE COACHESTommy Tuberville, a 17-year head coaching veteran was named the 41st football head coach at the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 8, 2012. Widely regarded as one of the top coaches and recruiters in the collegiate game, comes to Cincinnati after three years at Texas Tech. Tuberville holds a 135-79 career record with head coaching stops at Texas Tech, Auburn and Ole Miss.

JUSTIN FUENTE is in his second season as the head coach at Memphis and holds a 5-12 record. Prior to taking the Tigers’ job on Dec. 8, 2011, Fuente served five seasons on Gary Patterson’s staff at TCU from 2007-11, ascending from running backs coach to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS

The University of Cincinnati football team is playing its 126th season in 2013. The Bearcats’ program dates to 1885 and is one of the 10 oldest in major college football.

UC won four of the final five BIG EAST Championships and has played in a bowl game in six of the past seven seasons and two straight years.

UC has won 62 games (62-22) since the 2007 season, most among current American Athletic Conference teams.

UC is the only school in the country among the BCS AQ Conferences (American, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) to win four conference titles in the last five years.

UC is one of only four NCAA FBS AQ programs to have won 10 games in five of the past six seasons, joining Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon.

Nippert Stadium now features a new UBU Sports’ Speed Series S5-M synthetic turf system, the same product used at Paul Brown Stadium, Nippert will undergo an $86-million renovation and expansion starting in Dec. 2013. UC will play downtown at PBS in 2014.

OL Ben Flick, WR Mark Barr and WR Javon Harrison were involved in a car accident on Sept. 21, 2013. Tragically, Flick lost his life and Barr was seriously injured, was released from UC Medical Center and remains hospitalized at a local rehabilitation facility. Harrison was treated and released.

QB Munchie Legaux suffered a knee injury against Illinois, had surgery on Sept. 13 and will miss the rest of the year.

The Bearcats are No. 8 nationally in total defense (286.9).

UC’s defense shut out Temple in the second half on Oct. 11 and has allowed one second-half offensive TD in five games.